Just thought I'd take a moment to share my notes and thoughts on this inspired session in preparation for General Conference next week!
Sister Linda K Burton, President in Relief SocietyGeneral Presidency: Covenant
keeping…means choosing to bind ourselves to our Father in Heaven and Jesus
Christ. It is committing to follow the Savior;
it is trusting him and desiring to show Him our gratitude. Why make and keep Covenants? 1 – Covenant keeping
strengthens, empowers and protects. “Oh
sisters, we all have burdens to bear and burdens to share.” An invitation to
bear one another’s burdens is an invitation to keep our covenants. 2 – keeping covenants
is essential for true happiness. “Covenant
keepers are commandment keepers” 3 – keeping our covenants demonstrates our
love for the Savior and our Father in Heaven. Joseph Fielding Smith: Covenant keeping is one
way to show our love… Evaluate how much
we love the Savior, how well do we keep our covenants?
Sister Carole MStephens, 1st counselor in Relief Society General Presidency: 10 year old Porter is an awesome example! Maria
is also a great example or enduring to the end of helping others! (Woah, I
started typing that just before Sister Stephens actually said the words!!) A
great reminder of how I used to be so much better at my Visiting Teaching
responsibilities and the promptings I’ve been receiving recently to go back to
some of the things I used to do for my sisters! “As I shared these experiences
with you, did you see yourself in the work of salvation? Take a moment to think
of another daughter of God who needs encouragement to get back on the path or
needs a little help to stay on the path. Ask your Father in Heaven about her.
She is his daughter, he knows her name. He also knows you and he will tell you
what she needs. Be patient and continue in faith and prayer on her behalf, and
act on the promptings you receive. As you act on these promptings, the Spirit
will confirm that your offering is acceptable to the Lord.”
Sister Linda SReeves, 2nd counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency: I love the story about the young man saying
the sacrament prayer so carefully, especially since it was his first! I have a
lot of stories where the young man has to start over or repeat the prayer. I
often go to these young men and reassure them that someone in that room was not
ready for the sacrament to begin. And have even had the experience of being
that someone! I thank them for doing a great job! “Sisters, I testify of the
strength and power of prayer as we express our deepest pains and desires to our
Heavenly Father and the answers received as we feast upon the scriptures and
the words of the living prophets.” “My dear sisters, the Lord allows us to be
tried and tested, sometimes to our maximum capacity. We have seen the lives of
loved ones and maybe our own figuratively burned to the ground and have
wondered why a loving Heavenly Father would allow such things to happen. But he
doesn’t leave us in the ashes; he stands with open arms, eagerly inviting us to
come to him. He is building our lives in magnificent temples where his spirit
can dwell eternally.” D&C 58: 3-4 “Sisters, I testify that the Lord has a
plan for each of our lives, nothing that happens is a shock or a surprise to
him. He is all knowing and all loving. He is eager to comfort us and ease our
pain, as we rely on the power of the atonement and honor our covenants.” “We bind the Lord to keep his promises when we
keep our covenants and exercise our faith. Come to the Temple, dear sisters,
and claim your blessings.” “We sometimes, as women, have a tendency to be
critical of ourselves. During these times, we need to seek the spirit and ask
Is this what the Lords wants me to think of myself, or is Satan trying to beat
me down? Remember the nature of our Heavenly Father, whose love is perfect and
infinite. He wants to build us up, not tear us down.”
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| https://twitter.com/ldsconf/status/384128809714208768 |
President Thomas S Monson, President of TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: “Full House” after looking
over the congregation. “My dear sisters, the spirit we feel this evening is a
reflection of your strength, your devotion and your goodness. To quote the
Master, “Ye are the salt of the earth, the light of the world.” “I miss her
more than words can express” (right after almost getting choked up talking
about his departed wife) “There are many of you who have aging parents who
require the loving care only you can give.” “There will be times when you will
walk a path strewn with thorns and marked by struggle. There may be times when
you feel detached-even isolated-from the giver of every good gift. You worry
that you walk alone. Fear replaces faith. When you find yourself in such
circumstances, I plead with you to remember prayer.” Peace is that which we
seek, that for which we yearn. We were not placed on this earth to walk alone. What
an amazing source of power of strength and of comfort is available to each of
us. He who knows us better than we know ourselves, he who sees the larger
picture and knows the end from the beginning has assured us that he will be
there for us to provide help. If we but ask. We have the promise, pray always,
and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good.”
(scripture?) “Allied with prayer in helping us cope in our often difficult
world is scripture study. The words of truth and inspiration found in our four
standard works are prized possessions to me. I never tire of reading them. I’m
lifted spiritually. “My Dear Sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you, each of
you, that love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your
possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account, it is not
changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you
when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you
whether or not you deserve love. It is simply always there.”
Sister Ana de
Agostini (closing prayer): “We ask thee Father to help us with greater understanding of our
mission on this earth as daughters in these latter days”
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Did you watch it? There were so many thoughts expressed that really apply to things going on in my personal life and I already feel renewed and refreshed, I can't imagine what next week's General Conference sessions have in store for me and all of us....watsit2u?
